Longer chapter! Not me re-naming old OCs to fit the story lol
Reigenâs feet carried him faster than normal this morning, desperate to reach the bakery. Heâd spent the night tossing and turning, trying to dissect the bits of conversation heâd heard from Mob, and wondering if he somehow screwed up. As the bakery came into view he realized the lights were still off. There was a handwritten note taped to the door.
âWe will be opening by 10AM today, sorry for the inconvenience!â
Reigenâs heart sank. A late opening? (Y/N) hadnât opened late the entire time heâd be coming to see her. He would know, he usually got there before she actually opened when he was on his way to work and sheâd let him in before opening to have first pick and try new batches. Would he be insane if he opened late and waited for her? Reigen checked his watch, 8:15AM. He was supposed to open at 9AM and already had a client scheduled for 9:45. Well damn.
Yeah, he decided, it would be weird if he opened late and waited here for her. Feeling dejected, he kept walking to the office. Might as well go in early since he was already out; if he went back home now it wouldnât make sense. He arrived at the office less than 10 minutes later, lighting a cigarette, hoping it would help his anxious thoughts. Surprise surprise, it didnât help at all.
Reigen sighed, looking up at the sky. Heâd just stop by after work, no big deal, right? He heard footsteps rounding the corner of the building, then a surprised squeak as someone almost ran into him.
That someone being, â(Y/N)? What- what are you doing here?â
Her faced burned at Reigenâs bewilderment. âI- um- you-â she looked down at her watch. âItâs 8:30, youâre not supposed to be here yet!â
Reigen shook his head, no less confused than before. âThat⌠doesnât answer my question.â His eyes moved down to a pastel blue box in her hands, the words âTo Reigen Aratakaâ written on it. His gaze moved back to herâs. âWhatâs this?â
Her face burned brighter and she looked away. âThis- uh- Aaahhh man this is so awkward. It⌠was supposed to be a surprise⌠when I wasnât here. I was gonna leave it at your office door.â
The man raised a brow, a hand on his hip. âWhy couldnât you just give it to me yourself, why leave it at my door and run?â He reached out for the box, opening it without hesitation. Reigenâs face broke into a smile at the contents of the box. A round cake, with yellow icing, that read, âHappy Late Birthday, Reigen!â A little chibi (Y/N) giving him a thumbs up was next to his name. He slowly raised his eyes from the cake back to (Y/N), his smile never faltering.
She awkwardly averted her gaze, squeezing her eyes shut tight. âS-stop staring at me and say something.â
Reigen laughed, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her up the stairs. âCome on, Iâve got forks in my office.â He set the box on the coffee table, gesturing for (Y/N) to sit on the couch. He returned a moment later with two forks and some plates.
The girl fidgeted in her seat, her cheeks still dusted pink. âI.. was bummed Iâd missed your birthday and⌠and I wanted to make you a thank you for the other day. I thought this was a good uh- compromise for both.â
She looked so unbelievably cute, and Reigen was so incredibly flattered, he just had to tease her. âDid you try to recruit Mob to deliver for you?â She nodded, and he continued, âBut he said he couldnât, so you came here before opening, because you were too shy to give it to me yourself?â
She nodded again, her blush darkening. In a small voice she said, âI was embarrassed, thought you might think it was dumb.â
Reigen laughed, putting an arm around her shoulder in a side hug. âThink it was dumb? Absolutely not, youâre so sweet. This is the best late birthday present a guy could ask for. Iâll have to cry for 6 days now, to prove I wasnât lying.â He started loudly fake sobbing, making honk shoo noises between fake sobs.
(Y/N) laughed, shoving him. âYouâre so dumb, honk shoo is for fake sleeping, not crying!â
Reigen gasped, waving his hands around. âFake?! I, Reigen Arataka, would never fake my cries! Those were 100%, real, genuine, sobs! Youâre so heartless! You show up at my office, assault me, give me the most thoughtful gift, then bully me when I totally, not fake at all, cry. Youâre giving some mixed signals here!â
Her laugher grew, causing Reigen to smile so hard his cheeks almost hurt. âYouâre such a drama queen, I didnât assault you. This would be assault.â She shoved him again, the smile never leaving her face.
Reigen gave her a light shove back. âHow dare you assault me, in my own office no less!â Thank god she wasnât mad at him. The conversation she had with Mob made a lot more sense now. The anxiety in the pit of his stomach nearly evaporated at the sight of her smile. Reigen sighed, a relieved smile on his face. âYou know⌠I was worried Iâd somehow upset you to be honest.â
(Y/N)âs brows furrowed. âUpset me how? Iâm not upset with you at all.â Her gaze fell onto her hands, which were fidgeting in her lap. âI was worried I made a fool of myself the other night. Thought the cake might help me break the tension, but then I got all in my head about that too.â An alarm started going off on her phone, signaling she needed to start heading to the bakery.
Reigen glanced at his watch. It was already 9:15. He thought for a moment. âHey, my first client doesnât come in till 9:45. Can I walk you back?â
(Y/N) took a deep breath, trying to hide her smile. âI⌠Iâd like that.â
Conversation flowed easily on their walk. Reigen found himself wishing the barley was further away so he could be with her longer. They made jokes and sarcastic quips, shoulders occasionally bumping as they walked. His gaze on her was soft as she laughed about some story she was telling him.
âManâ he thought to himself, âI should really ask her out again⌠would that be weird? Too soon? We did just go out a few days ago.â Reigen was pulled out of his thoughts by (Y/N)âs gasp as they neared the bakery.
There was a man standing outside, leaning against the wall, kicking a rock between his feet. (Y/N) called out to him. âKai? Is that you?â
His eyes snapped away from the rock, up to her face. A friendly smile on his face as he approached her. His movements were slow, as if trying not to scare her off. âWell, arenât you a sight for sore eyes? Iâm not here to cause trouble, just wanted to check on you.â He opened his arms to her, his eyes soft. âWould it be too much to ask for a hug?â
She moved quickly, meeting him halfway, easily returning the embrace. Kai smiled wide, lifting her feet off the ground and spinning her around. âItâs been too long, (Y/N).â She laughed as he spun her, and Reigen found himself annoyed. Who the heck was this guy? Kai easily set her back down on the ground. Reigen couldnât help but notice that Kai was taller than him, and effortlessly handsome. His brown curls slightly sweeping into his eyes as he looked down at (Y/N), a stupid smile on his stupidly handsome face.
(Y/N) smiled in a way that seemed different from how she looked at Reigen. Jealousy bubbled in his stomach. âItâs good to see you! You donât live in Seasoning City now, do you?â
Kai laughed, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. âNah, Iâm over at Fruit Hills now, actually. Decided you had the right idea leaving home.â
(Y/N) looked shocked. âNo way, thatâs awesome! Wait⌠isnât that like a 5 hour train ride from here? What brings you here?â
A smile stretched across Kaiâs stupidly handsome face, he ruffled (Y/N)âs hair. âYeah, I came to see you.â Okay, Reigen officially wanted to hit him. âI heard about what happened the other day and wanted to stop by to make sure you were okay. Sorry I couldnât come yesterday, I had to work. I woulda called but I wasnât sure if you still had the same number.â He handed her his phone, Reigen could see her contact was open, the photo seemed to be of (Y/N) many years ago, she seemed to still be in her teens.
The girl wrinkled her nose. âEw, why do you have that photo?â She laughed, taking a quick selfie to change the contact photo. âThere, thatâs better. Yeah, my number is still the same. I appreciate you coming, but Iâm okay.â Her eyes drifted to Reigen, her gaze softening. âI had a friend that took care of me after.â
Kai smiled to Reigen, extending a hand for him to shake. As much as Reigen didnât want to, he did. Kaiâs handshake was strong, confident. Reigen tried not to grumble to himself. Of course Kai had a good handshake, why wouldnât he.
âNice to meet you, Iâm Kai. Thank you for being there (Y/N), I know she wouldnât ask for help on her own.â
Reigen tried not to make a face, instead putting on his confidence persona. âReigen Arataka. Donât mention it, Iâm always more than happy to be there for her. (Y/N) is a good friend, Iâd move mountains for her if I could.â
Kai smirked as he let go of Reigenâs hand, an amused and smug look in his eye. âIs that so? Well, sheâs lucky to have you.â Kai pulled (Y/N) into another hug. âWell, Iâm glad youâre alright. Listen, Sora wanted to come too but heâs got work. I promised him Iâd bring back some world famous pastries to make up for him missing the trip.â He gave (Y/N) and wink, and she flushed under the praise. Reigen wished the ground would swallow him whole. âSora wants to see you, though. Think it would be cool if we planned another visit? I know Iâve got your number now, at least.â
(Y/N)âs eyes sparkled as she motioned to Kai and Reigen to follow as she unlocked the door. âIâd love that! It would be great to see him again. Pick whatever you want.â
Kai picked a few sweets, as (Y/N) was packing them up he whispered something in her ear, his eyes fixed on Reigen. Whatever Kai said caused her face to turn a deep shade of red, pulling a deep chuckle from Kai.
Kai ruffled her hair once more, gratefully taking the bag from her. âWeâll do our best to come back soon.â As he made his way to the door, he clapped a hand on Reigenâs shoulder. âIâm sure Iâll see you again.â A teasing smile pulled at his lips, his eyeâs flicking from Reigen to (Y/N). âSheâs lookinâ a little feverish there, might need your help with that.â
The girl looked like she was going to explode. âKAI! Shut the hell up!â
The man laughed loudly, throwing a wave over his shoulder as he left.
(Donât worry heâll eat the cake in the next one, I didnât forgot, Reigen did lol)